IV. After these various
rebuildings there would seem to be little left of the original Wall.
That, however, a great part of it continued to be the hard rubble core
of the Roman work seems evident from the fact that the course of the
Wall was never altered. The only alteration was when they turned the
Wall west at Ludgate down to the Fleet River and so to the confluence of
the Fleet and the Thames. The river side of the Wall was also allowed to
be removed.

[Illustration: REMAINS OF THE WALL.]

The City was thus protected by a great wall pierced by a few gates, with
bastions and towers. At the East End after the Norman Conquest rose the
Great White Tower still standing. At the West End was a tower called
Montfichet's Tower.

[Illustration: PART OF THE ROMAN WALL AT LEICESTER.]

But a wall without a ditch, where a ditch was possible, became of
little use as soon as scaling ladders were invented with wooden movable
towers and other devices. A ditch was accordingly constructed in the
year 1211 in the reign of King John. It appears to have been from the
very first neglected by the citizens, who trusted more to their own
bravery than to the protection of a ditch. It was frequently ordered to
be cleansed and repaired: it abounded, when it was clean, with good fish
of various kinds: but it was gradually allowed to dry up until, in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, nothing was left but a narrow channel or no
channel at all but a few scattered ponds, with market gardens planted in
the ditch itself. In Agas's map of London these gardens are figured,
with summer houses and cottages for the gardeners and cattle grazing. On
the west side north of Ludgate the ditch has entirely disappeared and
houses are built against the Wall on the outside. Houndsditch is a row
of mean houses facing the moat. Fore Street is also built over against
the moat. Within and without the Wall they placed churchyards--those of
St. Alphege, Allhallows, and St. Martin's Outwich, you may still see for
yourselves within the Wall: that of St. Augustine's at the north end of
St. Mary Axe, has vanished. Those of the three churches of St. Botolph,
Bishopsgate, Aldgate, Aldersgate, and that of St. Giles are churchyards
without the Wall. Then the ditch became filled up and houses were built
all along the Wall within and without. Thus began unchecked, perhaps
openly encouraged, the gradual demolition of the Wall. It takes a long
time to tear down a wall of solid rubble